WWE Changes Policy On Superstar Contract Talks

Contracts are everything in pro wrestling, especially when you’re talking about top name Superstars. There are a few WWE contracts ticking down right now, but a new company policy makes it seem like they aren’t too eager to ink a new deal with anyone.

Sean Sapp noted behind Fightful’s paywall that, “2021 saw some major WWE contracts expire in Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole, but a gigantic part of the roster is signed through 2024 after huge contacts were handed out in 2019.” It is also worth noting that, “2022 saw a major regime change, but an implemented negotiation method seemingly stick around.”

WWE has apparently changed up how they handle contract talks. Where the policy used to be to lock people down well ahead of time, that is no the policy so much right now. The report went on to further detail this shift in WWE’s tactics.

In many cases, WWE would start to reach out to talent to extend their deals a year and a half before they expired, but we’re told that is already changing. Completely separate of the Adam Cole and Pete Dunne contract snafus in 2021 that saw deals expire without the company realizing, Fightful learned that a change in talent relations and a major turnover internally, in addition to some new faces at the top of the company had changed the way contracts were negotiated in the last year or so of Vince McMahon’s regime before he left. Fightful was told that the newer approach was to come closer to their expiration date before negotiations begin in many cases, a practice that was already in effect as of the Summer 2021. That wasn’t exclusively the case, but was a big adjustment from WWE looking to lock down talent way ahead of their deals expiring.

Advertising

Advertising

It was also noted that, “Triple H, it remains to be seen how things will change, but thus far, we haven’t heard of many cases where talent were negotiating deals way ahead of time, so it looks to so far be the same method.”

We will have to see what happens with people like Drew McIntyre, who has a contract that is expiring at the end of the year, but he has yet to ink a new deal. Obviously, the entire landscape of WWE could change with the right contracts running out. Only time will tell how the company changes next.

What’s your take on how WWE is handling contracts? Do you think that they should wait until the last minute? Sound off in the comments!